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The Testament of Mary.

This short novel—a Man Booker Prize nominee—takes listeners deep inside the suffering heart of a woman, now in old age, recounting the prodigious grief produced by her son’s tragic death. Toibin’s tale of one woman’s almost unfathomable sorrow is masterfully told with a grasp of lyrical, affecting language seemingly intended for the audio format. As the first-person account unfolds, Mary relates the events surrounding her son’s rise to prominence and climactic crucifixion, all the while questioning how she should have intervened to affect the outcome. The choice of Streep for the narration is brilliant, as she brings her much-acclaimed talents to the challenge of what is, for all purposes, a three-hour one-woman show. Her voice displays a tired, world-weary tone that is well fitted to a mother haunted by past tragic events. At times, when the anger builds over those who demand too much of her and attempt to bend her memories to their own ends, Streep’s narration is able to convey the sense of fury without rising above a conversational air. The Testament of Mary is truly a fantastic audio that will resonate with anyone, both sinner and saint, who has ever suffered from the pain of loss.